Colombia-US Dismantle $190M CJNG-Linked Crypto Laundering Network — 5 Arrested Including Key Cartel Liaison 'Dans'

On April 23, 2026, authorities in Colombia and the United States announced the simultaneous dismantlement of a money laundering network linked to CJNG that allegedly moved more than $190 million since 2023 through cryptocurrencies, shell companies, and couriers. The joint operation was carried out simultaneously in Bogotá, Cali, and Jamundí, Colombia, with at least seven raids and five arrests for extradition purposes. According to Dijín director Col. Elver Alfonso Sanabria, 'The group maintained direct ties with international cartels, specifically the CJNG, facilitating the entry of large sums of money into Colombia from cities such as Cleveland and Miami.' The investigation, which ran for more than six months, identified a hybrid money laundering scheme combining technological tools (cryptocurrency conversion) with traditional methods (bulk cash couriers). The network infiltrated Colombia's financial system through legally established businesses in the automotive and real estate sectors. KEY ARREST: Among those detained was Johan Alberto Gutiérrez Alonso, a Colombian-American citizen known as 'Dans' or 'Gordo,' identified as a key CJNG financial liaison. He coordinated drug trafficking to the United States and served as the primary interface between the Colombian laundering network and CJNG's financial operations. ASSET SEIZURES: Colombian authorities initiated asset forfeiture proceedings on 27 properties (movable and immovable) valued at more than $5 million. The Office of the Attorney General is advancing extradition procedures for all five suspects to the United States, where they face charges related to drug trafficking and money laundering. SIGNIFICANCE: This bust represents CJNG's expanding transnational financial architecture — the network moved $190M+ in just three years through the US and Colombia using crypto. Post-Mencho, CJNG's financial networks are under intense bilateral pressure; the fractura total between El Jardinero/El Sapo and O3/Los Cuinis has not disrupted CJNG's international money laundering infrastructure, which operates semi-autonomously from the succession struggle. The Colombia-US operation is coordinated through DEA and HSI channels, illustrating the multi-lateral counter-narcotics cooperation that complements Mexico's domestic Operativo Enjambre.